Videos by Andy Slye

Tag: model 3 (Page 12 of 17)

Tesla Model 3 After 2 Years: What It’s REALLY Like

No other car in history has changed this much after taking ownership as much as the Tesla Model 3 has in its first two years.

Iā€™ve driven mine over 50,000 miles which means I have no more new vehicle warranty so Iā€™m here to show you what Model 3 ownership has really been like and if it’s actually worth the $50,000 I paid for it.

Service & Maintenance

The 2-year mark for owning a Model 3 is sort of significant because thatā€™s when one of the biggest concerns of owning a Tesla comes into play: Service & Maintenance.

Tesla doesnā€™t actually require service intervals for the Model 3, but in the manual they do recommend some service at the 2 year mark. Hereā€™s all the service & maintenance Iā€™ve had done to my Model 3 in its first two years (all have been covered for free under the warranty and repaired by a Tesla Mobile Ranger at my location).

Early on, my driver door handle wasnā€™t closing as quickly as it should have been. Not long after that my windshield wiper was making a clicking noise. Last year my cellular LTE data stopped working. Finally, a couple months ago my driver door was making a clicking noise. I started getting my tires rotated every 15,000 miles, but luckily thereā€™s a tire place in my city that gives me free rotations so no money spent on that so far.

As you can see, all of those were minor repairs that cost me $0 and none of them prevented me from actually driving the car safely from point A to point B so the core driving reliability of my Model 3 has been pretty much perfect.

Once I hit the 2 year mark I figured I would go ahead and do the recommended service because I plan to own my Model 3 as long as possible, so I opened my Tesla app and scheduled a service checkup. Tesla quoted me $600 for cabin air filter replacement, wiper blades replacement, brake caliper cleaning, and brake fluid replacement.

This was a bit of a sticker shock to me, but since this is all just recommended and not actually required I requested only the brake caliper and brake fluid service which ended up being $390. After factoring in the $30 air filter replacement, the total Iā€™ve spent on maintenance comes to about – wait for it – $420. Elon, I see what you did there you sly dog you. That means Iā€™ve spent about $8 on maintenance for every 1,000 miles traveled. Not bad at all if you ask me.

Charging & Electricity Cost

Letā€™s talk about one of the unique aspects of owning a Tesla – charging the car. Some people who have never owned an electric vehicle are quick to bring up the argument ā€œDoesnā€™t it take long to charge? Where will you charge it? Are you scared youā€™ll run out of battery?ā€

Iā€™ve never run out of battery or been stranded, and about 90% of the charging happens at home overnight while I sleep when electricity is very cheap. Owning an electric vehicle has saved me both time and money by never having to stop at gas stations during my normal daily driving.

The only time I charge at a Tesla Supercharger station is when Iā€™m traveling on a road trip. In fact Iā€™ve only Supercharged 29 times during my first 52,000 miles and Iā€™ve only spent $54 on Supercharging so far.

My off-peak home charging rate is about 7 cents per kWh, and since 90% of my miles traveled were done by charging at home thatā€™s about 46,800 miles. My Model 3ā€™s lifetime average efficiency is 244 Wh/mile and if we consider a 90% wall to wheels efficiency my home charging cost comes to about $900.

After adding in Supercharging, my total cost to travel 52,000 miles is right around $950. That means for the same cost of 6 months of cable TV, you could drive over 50,000 miles in a Tesla Model 3. (Seriously, cut the cord if you havenā€™t already)

That’s pretty crazy, right? That fact that I havenā€™t even spent $1,000 on charging after 52,000 miles. Of course these are all approximate estimates, but the point is the cost to drive a Tesla Model 3 is way cheaper and more convenient than any gasoline vehicle.

In fact, most people donā€™t even need to get an additional charging outlet installed at home. On a normal electrical outlet a Long Range Model 3 can regain 60 miles of range overnight assuming itā€™s charging for 12 hours.

Improvements Over Time

Finally, letā€™s talk about the Model 3ā€™s improvements. I recently made a video about the things I dislike about my Model 3, but the beauty is that Tesla can fix a lot of those nit picky complaints through a free software update, which theyā€™ve provided plenty of those since I got my Model 3.

You may have heard about many of these new software updates such as the big one that came out around the holidays that gave Model 3 owners more sophisticated voice commands.

Through free software updates Tesla has given my car fart mode, new games, and entertainment apps like YouTube and Netflix which are a game changer for my wife when we are Supercharging.

But itā€™s not just new quirky features that are being added. Legitimate improvements to the actual performance of the Model 3 have come from software updates. My car has become 10% quicker since getting it in 2018, and my driving efficiency has improved from things like the ā€œHoldā€ feature.

Tesla also pushed a software update that improved the Model 3ā€™s motor efficiency and based on the Tesla Stats app, my estimated range is now 329 miles. That means after 2 years and 50,000 miles, my estimated battery range has increased by 19 miles. That’s unheard of and completely crushes the argument that the battery will need to be replaced any time soon due to degradation.

Other cool features have also been added like Smart Summon which lets the car drive to me in a parking lot, along with Sentry Mode which records security footage from the carā€™s cameras and lets me view the footage directly from the touch screen display.

Of course one of the best Tesla features, Autopilot, is constantly improving and getting better as more Tesla owners drive their cars which makes the neural network exponentially more intelligent with each mile driven.

This type of dynamic improvement cannot be found on any other car. The Model 3 is an absolutely amazing vehicle, and an even more enjoyable piece of technology. Itā€™s truly a giant gadget that brings so much joy and convenience to me as an owner while also improving the environment ever so slightly by making me never need nor want a gas car ever again.

What do you think of the Tesla Model 3? Let me know in the comments below!

Is It DUMB to Buy a Tesla Right Now?

Teslas are considered luxury vehicles and are relatively expensive, so right now is probably not a good time to buy one. Or is it? Some crazy things are happening in our economy right now. People are losing jobs, stock marketā€™s crashing, so this is going to sound like first world problems, but it’s relevant to my channel and it begs the question: is it dumb to buy a Tesla during a pandemic or possible recession?

First of all, disclaimer: Iā€™m not a financial expert. None of this is legal advice. Nobody knows if a recession will even happen. We could be back to normal in a few weeks or things could get worse. But in this video I want to talk about the pros and cons if youā€™re thinking about buying a Tesla during uncertain times like these.

First and foremost make sure you have the budget to afford a Tesla. Thereā€™s never a good time to buy a Tesla just for the sake of flexing on fools ok? To see if a car is within your budget you should follow these three rules: put down at least 20 percent, finance the car for no more than 4 years, and keep your total monthly car payment at or below 10 percent of your gross monthly income. For example: the Model Y I have on order is right around $60,000 so according to these rules I should put down at least $12,000 cash, and then get a loan for the other $48,000 which should be no longer than a 48 month loan which puts the monthly payment right around $1,000 per month. That means for me to afford this particular Model Y my monthly income should be at least $10,000. So itā€™s super important to make sure your monthly budget allows for the car payment, and if an emergency happens where you lose your income for a while you want to make sure your emergency fund can cover your car payment. Do those calculations for yourself and if you canā€™t make it work, try to find a cheaper vehicle that fits your budget if you absolutely need one right now.

Buying a new car means youā€™re buying a depreciating asset. We all know that as soon as you drive a new car off the lot, it decreases in value by thousands of dollars which is why a new car is usually frowned upon when it comes to personal finance. However, Teslas do seem to keep their value pretty well. According to a study by automotive research firm iSeeCars, the average one-year-old used car costs 20 percent less than its new version. However, some models have as little as a 5 percent difference and after analyzing over 6 million cars it identified the Tesla Model 3 as the best car to buy new. According to Kelly Blue Book, the Model X has the best electric vehicle resale value for 2020 with a predicted resale value of 44% after 5 years of ownership. Last year, Elon tweeted that when Teslaā€™s ride sharing network comes online all Tesla vehicles with the Full Self Driving option will actually become appreciating assets that increase in value. That’s obviously extremely far fetched, but if and when that does happen it will allow a Tesla to potentially make money for the owner which is a feature that does differentiate Teslas from other cars and is a factor to consider when deciding to buy a car.

But you donā€™t always need to get a new Tesla. The good news is right now with the Model Y coming out there are many people selling their Model 3ā€™s which are only 2 years old at the most so you may be able to save some money by finding a used Model 3 if that fits your lifestyle. Donā€™t plan on buying mine though because like Iā€™ve said before, the Model 3 is the best car Iā€™ve ever driven and I plan to keep it for at least 10 years. The Model Y I have on order is mostly for my wife.

If you are adamant on buying a car during a pandemic or potential recession, I highly recommend you plan to keep the car for as long as possible. The good news is that Tesla is probably the most forward thinking car company right now. They build their cars with the long term future in mind by giving their cars all the hardware capabilities that they think it needs to be able to fully drive itself when the software and regulations reach that point, which is something that no other car company is doing on the level that Tesla is.

If you decide you want a new Tesla during these times itā€™s possible that auto loan interest rates will be super low right now. However the rates can change at anytime and will depend on your own personal situation so itā€™s best to shop around and get multiple quotes from different sources to find the best rate for you if you plan to finance. I guess a potential downside of buying a Tesla is that sometimes during hard financial times for car companies you can negotiate a good deal with a dealership that’s trying to sell off their inventory. With Tesla, they donā€™t have dealerships which I actually love, but that means you wonā€™t be negotiating the price with Tesla. They prefer to set prices and allow you to purchase it anytime online. I personally think that is still way better than having to go to a dealership to buy.

Also, as with any electric vehicle, buying a Tesla means youā€™ll never buy gas again, and Tesla likes to show you the potential gas savings when you go to purchase one of their cars online. During the first year and a half of driving my Model 3 I saved nearly $3,000 in fuel alone. Also no more oil changes which is another added savings over the lifetime of the car. Plus during a crazy time like this, not having to go to gas stations is actually really nice. Even though gas prices are super cheap right now, the price can change any minute. You donā€™t want to be affected by how careless and evil that industry is, trust me. And if youā€™re practicing social distancing, driving an electric vehicle like a Tesla is so much better because it charges at home overnight while you sleep. No stopping at gas stations so no risking yourself or others or having to touch a gas pump that is most likely loaded with germs. Sounds petty but itā€™s true.

Also during this unique situation, food delivery services like Uber Eats and Post Mates have surged so you could make some money while helping people out, and with a Tesla you could do it without having to pay for gas and while being way less harmful to the environment. Plus whenever Teslaā€™s robo-taxi network becomes a reality in the future if something like this happens again you could send your Tesla out by itself with no human inside while you practice self distancing at home and watch more of my YouTube videos hopefully.

Teslas are also some of the safest cars in the world which should in theory help reduce your car insurance bill especially now that Tesla is starting to offer insurance directly to their owners at seemingly good prices. Right now, anything that gives you a chance to lower your bills is pretty crucial.

I guess a potential downside to buying a Tesla is that they are the youngest car manufacturer out of all the major car companies so they may have a tougher time ramping up production through all this. However, it turns out that this might actually help them take a breather from trying to frantically deliver cars and instead fix bottlenecks and optimize their workflow at their factory, something they probably couldnā€™t have focused on if they were at 100% full speed production ramp. I think their biggest struggle will be making sure their service centers and mobile technicians are prepared for the increase in Tesla ownership throughout the country with the deliveries of the Model Y. Service is definitely something to consider when purchasing a car for the long term. Iā€™ve owned a Model 3 for two years and so far the service has been minimal but weā€™ll see how it continues. I also believe that this pandemic will lead to people wanting to live a more ā€œgreenā€ and healthy lifestyle, and when people do that it may lead to more people getting interested in Teslas and going solar which will in turn help Tesla succeed in the long run.

So is it dumb to buy a Tesla right now? Well, if you absolutely need a car, if you can afford it even if you lose your job temporarily, and if you plan to keep it for a long time then no itā€™s absolutely not dumb in my opinion. In fact if all of those things apply to you itā€™s probably smart to buy a Tesla given everything we talked about.

Iā€™m still planning to go through with my Model Y purchase as of now. Iā€™m patiently waiting for Tesla to notify me of my delivery date. Stay tuned and subscribe so you donā€™t miss my upcoming videos. I hope youā€™re doing well through all this. Stay safe and best of luck with your decision. Let me know what youā€™re planning to do in the comments below. Thank you for watching. My name is Andy, and Iā€™ll talk to you in the next one.

Top 10 Must-Have Tesla Model 3 Accessories!

For all you current & soon-to-be owners, these are my favorite accessories for the Tesla Model 3!

303 Protectant Spray (Amazon)
One of the first things you should do is protect the dash & glove box in your Model 3. These surfaces can scratch & scuff easily so I highly recommend this 303 protectant spray. I scratched my dash about a month after getting my car and after a lot of research I found this spray which cleared it up while giving the whole dash a nice protective smooth finish.

Webcam Covers (Amazon)
The Model 3 interior camera isnā€™t active at this time, but if you don’t want a camera on you at all times even if it is supposedly inactive, get some webcam covers. Theyā€™re affordable and go on easily so you can feel more at ease with your privacy, and when Tesla enables the camera in the future you can easily slide the cover to reveal the camera then slide it back as needed.

Jeda Wireless Charging Pad & USB Hub
The Jeda wireless charging pad lets you charge your phone without having to physically dock it onto a charging port. It has 3 areas that can wirelessly charge your phone: two portrait areas + a landscape area. It has a nice non-slip rubber surface. Jeda USB hub features two USB-A ports that the wireless charging pad plugs into and it also has two USB-C ports, but the best feature is the hidden compartment that has a USB port for your DashCam flash drive.

PNY Flash Drive (Amazon) or SanDisk SSD (Amazon)
For your DashCam, you want at least a 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive. This one is affordable and has worked perfectly since v10. It’s fast enough to record the Sentry Mode clips. Some people prefer an SSD for more storage and faster performance. This 500GB SanDisk SSD is the best value in my opinion. Either one that you choose will fit just fine in the Jeda USB hub compartment.

Screen Protector (Amazon)
I chose to get the HD clarity version screen protector for the 15ā€ center display instead of the matte version. Itā€™s easy to install and itā€™s hard to even notice that thereā€™s a screen protector installed. My screen protector actually did its job. Something fell on my screen and luckily only damaged the screen protector and not my actual display.

Cordless Radar Detector (Amazon) + Mount (Amazon)
The Escort Solo S4 radar detector alerts me when police speed radars are nearby. Since getting this radar detector I havenā€™t gotten pulled over. I chose this because itā€™s wireless & runs off AA batteries which last quite a long time. I got this smartphone mount & turned it into a mount for my radar detector, and it works well. It stays tucked away behind the display.

Fat Gecko Camera Mount (Amazon)
This is how I film my videos in my Model 3. It’s a strong & sturdy camera mount that has dual suction cups and holds my GH5 paired with a fairly lens without any issues. If you have a lighter camera setup you can get this instead which is cheaper but doesnā€™t hold as much weight. But Iā€™ve mounted my G85 camera on it and it worked just fine.

Tesla Stats app
If you have an Android or want a free alternative check out Tezlab but I chose Tesla Stats app because it was the only third party Tesla app that showed up. It gives you interesting data on your Model 3 including rated range estimates & driving efficiency. You can compare your stats with other Model 3 owners & view helpful charts about how much money you saved compared to driving a gas car. It also has some helpful things like showing if all the doors are closed.

ScentWedge (Use code “Slye” for 10% off)
This is an all-natural air freshener specifically made for the Model 3. I love that itā€™s not an overwhelming artificial fragrance. The item & aroma are both subtle. It fits nicely into the small gap on the dash so itā€™s very minimal and out of sight. All the ingredients are natural, sustainably sourced, and cruelty-free.

Oscar & Hamish Luggage
Premium luggage sets specifically designed for the Model 3. Hand made in England, and it fits the Model 3 frunk perfectly. They have a bag set for the frunk and a bag set for the lower compartment of the trunk. If you want spacious high quality bags designed specifically for the Model 3 frunk and trunk this is a good option.

Waterless Car Wash/Wax (Amazon)
This has a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon and was recommended to me by a fellow Tesla owner. The kit comes with everything you need including microfiber towels. You can use it with or without water. In less than 30 minutes you can have a clean & shiny Model 3.

Microfiber Bug Sponge (Amazon)
The Model 3 front end is a bug magnet. This Viking microfiber bug scrubber helps get the bugs off when washing the car. It has a mesh microfiber design that’s strong yet safe to use on the car’s clear coat. Plus it’s washable & reusable.

All Purpose Cleaner (Amazon)
CarGuys Super Cleaner is one of the best all-purpose cleaners and works great for the Model 3 interior. It can clean pretty much any surface except glass. You can use it on the dash, seats, steering wheel, middle console – almost anything inside the Model 3. It also comes with its own microfiber towel.

All-Weather Floor Mats (Amazon)
These ToughPro all-weather floor mats for under $100 will come in handy if you ever have passengers riding in your car. They are cut perfectly for the Model 3 and fit nicely on top of the existing floor mats or you can use them on their own if you’d like. They’re low maintenance & easy to clean.

Cordless Hand VacuumĀ (Amazon)
Another must-have for keeping the interior clean is a cordless hand vacuum. This rechargeable Black & Decker is very affordable and good enough for most car cleanups.

Matte Black Console WrapĀ (Amazon)
The Model 3 center console is extremely glossy & a fingerprint/dust magnet. To fix this I got this awesome DIY matte black console wrap kit. The install took about 1 hour and was fairly easy but it did take some patience. Totally worth it though and I love the way it looks and feels now.

Collapsible SunshadeĀ (Amazon)
As an owner of a fully electric vehicle you’ll want to minimize battery usage and this foldable sunshade helps with that. It folds into a small circle & comes with a convenient holder. It blocks the heat from the sun which helps avoid battery drain from the fan kicking on.

Smart Home LockĀ (Amazon)
The August Smart Home Lock lets you turn your existing door lock into a “smart” lock. With the Model 3, your smartphone is basically your key so to get rid of your keys altogether you’ll want a smart home lock. This one has worked great for me. It has an app so you can lock/unlock your door via Bluetooth.

Bonus products for Aero wheel owners:

Aero Wheel Cap Kit
If your Model 3 has the standard 18″ wheels you’ll want the Tesla Aero wheel cap kit to show off the nice rims underneath.

Suction CupĀ (Amazon)
If you get the cap kit you’ll also want this suction cup. It helps tremendously when removing the center cap from your wheel when you want to put the Aeros back on.

Wheel Touch-up PaintĀ (Amazon)
If you have the standard 18″ wheels at some point you’ll probably experience curb rash. For a quick fix get this Dupli-Color Dark Shadow Gray touch up paint. It matches the rim color almost perfectly. It’s not a complete 100% fix for curb rash but it does make it look way less noticeable.

How Tesla Wins With No More Tax Credit: Top 10 Advantages!

This was my live panel session at Fully Charged LIVE North America 2020. Enjoy!

Transcript:

This session is going to be all about Teslaā€™s top 10 advantages that I believe Tesla can rely on to continue to thrive in 2020 and beyond even with no more tax credit.

First let me introduce myself, for those who donā€™t know me my name is Andy Slye. Iā€™m a tech YouTuber and I’ve started creating a lot of Tesla videos since getting my Model 3. Best purchase Iā€™ve ever made. My videos became pretty popular which led to me becoming the worldā€™s top Tesla referrer with over 1,000 referrals so far which is incredible and still hard for me to believe. I love talking about Tesla and my Model 3 so thatā€™s why Iā€™m here today.

For those who donā€™t know about the federal EV tax credit here in the US I’ll briefly explain it. Iā€™m not going to get into the gritty details, but basically someone who purchases a qualifying electric vehicle can potentially get a federal tax credit of up to $7500. It applies to all car manufacturers. However, once a car manufacturer sells their 200,000th electric vehicle then the tax credit begins phasing out for that manufacturer little by little each quarter until itā€™s completely gone. And guess whose tax credit completely ran out at the end of 2019? Tesla! So beginning January 1st 2020 Tesla no longer has the advantage of the tax credit when selling their vehicles in the US.

As a YouTuber who does Tesla videos you can imagine all the lovely comments I get on my videos. Tesla is a very hot topic and some people love Tesla and some people despise Tesla. And Iā€™ve gotten many comments from Tesla haters over the years saying ā€œTesla is only surviving because of the tax payers and government subsidies. When Teslaā€™s tax credit runs out they will failā€

I hope you donā€™t take this as I only want Tesla to win. I love competition. I root for Teslaā€™s competition because it makes everyone better and it always benefits us, the consumer. For example, Rivian is here and I love what theyā€™re doing, and I hope they succeed. I recently did a YouTube video showcasing Openpilot which is basically an open source competitor to Teslaā€™s Autopilot. But, having been a Tesla owner for almost 2 years Iā€™ve grown to appreciate what makes their products so great and what makes them great as a brand.

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